Ahead of a winner-take-all semifinal second leg against the Vancouver Whitecaps Thursday (7:30 p.m., FS1), the Seattle Sounders still have lineup questions due to lingering injuries picked up late in the season. Tied 0-0 on aggregate after the first leg in Vancouver, the Sounders must win the match at CenturyLink Field to advance to the Western Conference finals.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Fulfilling the stereotype of MLS playoff form, the first leg of the MLS Western Conference semifinals features atypical casts and a lack of resolution. The Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps settled for a scoreless draw in the opening act of the two-part series.

The Seattle Sounders were spared a long trip for the Western Conference semifinals, thanks to a 5-0 thrashing of the San Jose Earthquakes by the Vancouver Whitecaps Wednesday night in the knockout round. The Sounders will play at BC Place Sunday (5:30 p.m., ESPN) before returning home for the second leg in Seattle Nov. 2.

Despite losing Clint Dempsey to a red card in the 24th minute, the Seattle Sounders blanked the Colorado Rapids 3-0 at the Clink Sunday to clinch the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs and a first-round bye. The red card means Dempsey will miss the first leg of the conference semifinals against an opponent to be determined.

Two goals in three minutes from forward Will Bruin clinched a ninth consecutive playoff berth for the Seattle Sounders Sunday at the Clink. The 4-0 win over FC Dallas was the second victory in the last eight matches, moving Seattle into third place in the Western Conference standings. The Sounders can finish the regular season no higher than second nor lower than fourth.

With two regular-season matches remaining, nine points separate first place from eighth in the MLS Western Conference. The fourth-place Seattle Sounders (12-9-11, 47 points), can guarantee themselves a spot in the postseason with a win at home against FC Dallas Sunday (4:30 p.m., FS1), but could still finish anywhere from the west’s top spot to below the cutoff line.

So dire were the circumstances of the Seattle Sounders’ lineup in Chester, PA., Sunday afternoon that Cristian Roldan, with a broken arm, was pressed into service as an attacking midfielder. Forced to make four changes to a roster that Wednesday bullied the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Sounders lost 2-0 to a Philadelphia Union team dwelling in the Eastern Conference basement.

The Sounders rediscovered their high-powered offense Wednesday night, thrashing the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3-0 to end a 202-minute scoring drought and earn the first win in six matches. Nicolas Lodeiro had a goal and two assists as coach Brian Schmetzer shook up his formation.

After 13 matches without a loss, the Seattle Sounders finally felt the sting of defeat in a road loss to Real Salt Lake Saturday night. The 2-0 downfall highlighted Seattle’s deficiencies on both sides of the ball as the Utah club undressed the Sounders twice on counterattacks.

FRISCO, TX. – On a sweltering Saturday night in Texas, the Seattle Sounders failed to distinguish themselves in a 0-0 draw against FC Dallas that stretched their unbeaten streak to 13 matches. Despite the streak, Seattle is winless in its last four matches.

The 44,697 who came to the Clink in search of good soccer received a double serving of emotional catharsis Sunday night. But the main event was bloody and stiff. In a match featuring 28 fouls, seven players cautioned, and one sent off, players lost their tempers and fans lost their minds in a bitter 1-1 draw with Sigi Schmid’s LA Galaxy.

Despite an early goal from Cristian Roldan, the Sounders were denied a key rivalry win Sunday after a penalty near at the end of the first half, as well as by a litany of missed chances in the second frame. Nevertheless, conference-leading Seattle drew 1-1 with second-place Portland in front of 51,796 at the Clink, extending its unbeaten streak to 11 matches.

Despite playing the final half-hour with a man advantage, the Seattle Sounders were unable to keep the Vancouver Whitecaps from finding a tying goal en route to a 1-1 draw at BC Place in Vancouver, B.C. Wednesday. Spaniard Victor Rodriguez impressed in his MLS debut, but was similarly ineffective as Seattle’s attack finished with a 25-8 advantage in shots.

Clint Dempsey scored from the penalty spot with the final kick of the game Sunday, lifting the Seattle Sounders over Minnesota United for the second time in a month as the Sounders ran their unbeaten streak to a franchise-record-tying nine games.

It was a day for the footnote-minded at CenturyLink Field Saturday. Clint Dempsey scored his 50th goal as a Seattle Sounder as the club beat Sporting Kansas City for the first time in the regular season since 2014, 1-0. The shutout means that Seattle (10-7-7, 37 points) has not allowed a goal in 400 minutes of league play, eclipsing the record of 379 minutes.

The Sounders Thursday acquired midfielder Calum Mallace from the Montreal Impact in exchange for a 2019 MLS SuperDraft fourth-round pick. Mallace is a five-year MLS veteran who has made 80 career appearances since Montreal selected him in the second round of the 2012 SuperDraft.

The Sounders Monday re-acquired 30-year-old Lamar Neagle, a midfielder and forward, from D.C. United in exchange for a 2018 fourth-round MLS SuperDraft selection. This will be the Federal Way native's fourth stint with the franchise. He played with Seattle in 2009, 2011 and 2013-2015.

MINNEAPOLIS – Clint Dempsey said he would buy teammate Chad Marshall dinner after poaching a potential goal from his center back, but it was the Sounders who feasted on Minnesota United FC Saturday. Dempsey scored twice and the Sounders were dominant in the first meeting between the reigning MLS champions and the league’s newest expansion franchise.

The trouble with squaring up between long-time colleagues is that each knows all of the other’s moves. That was the case for Brian Schmetzer’s Seattle Sounders at the Stub Hub Center Saturday night, when the LA Galaxy, under newly appointed head coach Sigi Schmid, struggled to a scoreless draw, matching one another at every turn.

Sigi Schmid, fired by the Seattle Sounders midway through the 2016 MLS season, is back in pro soccer, replacing Curt Onalfo as the head coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy, the club confirmed Thursday. Schmid, who coached the Galaxy from 1999-2004, returns in time for the club’s match against the Sounders Saturday in Carson, CA. (7 p.m., ESPN).

Thank you! Art Thiel and Steve Rudman

WeeklyRoundup Email

Followus on Twitter

Likeus on Facebook

Circleus on Google+

SportspressNW.com has partnered with Crosscut.com. Watch exclusive videos of Art Thiel and get the latest political and civic news from the Northwest at Crosscut.com.

ArtThiel on KNKX

Kirsten Kendrick's Q. & A. with Thiel can be heard every Friday during Morning Edition at 5:35am and 7:35am and again that same day on All Things Considered at 4:45pm. It also airs Saturday at 6:35am and 9:35am.